India's pride Tata wins Corus:Tata-Dow Chemical and 1984 Gas Tragedy Bhopal

Tata wins Corus, headlines everywhere: India's pride Tata. My question is which Tata? Those who are going to join hands with Dow chemicals. Dow Chemicals which denies responsibility of cleaning Bhopal.Dow chemicals which bought Union Carbide in 2001 shall legally own up liabilities of Union Carbide. But Dow has always denied these liabilities towards cleaning up toxic remains. Dow has long eyed India’s market. It has repeatedly tried technical collaboration with Indianoil. But it was stopped. Now it’s worming its way back through Reliance Industries and now Tata’s.

Now looks like Tata-Dow joint venture is going to happen.

I personally protested on Tata’s website, you are free to take your stand, If you feel the same way you can send a mail to media@tata.com.

and petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/bhopal/

Below is what happened in Bhopal.(Source: http://www.studentsforbhopal.org/WhatHappened.htm)

On December 3rd, 1984, thousands of people in Bhopal, India, were gassed to death after a catastrophic chemical leak at a Union Carbide pesticide plant. More than 150,000 people were left severely disabled - of whom 22,000 have since died of their injuries - in a disaster now widely acknowledged as the world’s worst-ever industrial disaster.

More than 27 tons of methyl isocyanate and other deadly gases turned Bhopal into a gas chamber. None of the six safety systems at the plant were functional, and Union Carbide’s own documents prove the company designed the plant with “unproven” and “untested” technology, and cut corners on safety and maintenance in order to save money.

Today, twenty years after the Bhopal disaster, at least 50,000 people are too sick to work for a living, and a recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association confirmed that the children of gas-affected parents are themselves afflicted by Carbide’s poison.

Carbide is still killing in Bhopal. The chemicals that Carbide abandoned in and around their Bhopal factory have contaminated the drinking water of 20,000 people . Testing published in a 2002 report revealed poisons such as 1,3,5 trichlorobenzene, dichloromethane, chloroform, lead and mercury in the breast milk of nursing women living near the factory.

Although Dow Chemical acquired Carbide’s liabilities when it purchased the company in 2001 , it still refuses to address its liabilities in Bhopal - or even admit that they exist. Till date, Dow-Carbide has refused to:

1) Clean up the site, which continues to contaminate those near it, or to provide just compensation for those who have been injured or made ill by this poison;
2) Fund medical care, health monitoring and necessary research studies, or even to provide all the information it has on the leaked gases and their medical consequences;
3) Provide alternate livelihood opportunities to victims who can not pursue their usual trade because of their exposure-induced illnesses;
4) Stand trial before the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s court in Bhopal, where Union Carbide faces criminal charges of culpable homicide (manslaughter), and has fled these charges for the past 15 years.

What went wrong and what should have been done: (Source:http://www.petitiononline.com/bhopal/)
I'M OUTRAGED THAT:
1. There was no siren and no warning--people woke with the gases already in their faces, filling their mouths, noses and lungs with excruciating pain.
2. NONE of safety systems were functioning on the night of the disaster—six in all.
3. Union Carbide under-invested in an inherently hazardous facility located in a crowded neighborhood, used admittedly unproven designs, stored lethal MIC in reckless quantities, dismantled safety systems and cut down on safety staff and training in an effort to cut costs.
4. Union Carbide and its new owner, Dow Chemical, continue to blame the disaster on a fictitious and unnamed worker, and deny their own negligence.
5. In the wake of the disaster, Carbide claimed that the gas was harmless, when it knew it was lethal (as described in its own manuals).
6. Dow-Carbide refuses to share all its medical information about the health effects of the gas it released, MIC--information that doctors could use to save lives--claiming the information is a “trade secret”.
7. Union Carbide fled India and abandoned its Bhopal plant, leaving thousands of tons of dangerous chemicals behind, which are now poisoning the water of the same people Carbide first poisoned 20 years ago. As more people grow sick, Dow-Carbide still refuses to clean up its pollution in Bhopal.
8. The Union Carbide Corporation, charged criminally with “culpable homicide” in the wake of the disaster, has refused to appear in court or stand trial. Union Carbide is now an international fugitive from justice, considered an “absconder” under Indian law.


Bhopal remains one of the world's worst examples of corporate crime, but the people of Bhopal continue to persevere in their call for justice. I’m joining Bhopal’s survivors by calling on Dow to:

1. Face Trial: Ensure that prime accused Warren Anderson, former chairman of Union Carbide ceases absconding from criminal justice in India and the authorized representatives of the company [Dow-Union Carbide] face trial in the Bhopal criminal court.

2. Provide Long Term Health Care: Assume responsibility for the continuing and long term health consequences among the exposed persons and potentially their future generations. This includes medical care, health monitoring and necessary research studies. The company must provide all information on the leaked gases and their medical consequences.

3. Clean Up The Poison: Remove the contamination of the ground water and soil in and around the abandoned Union Carbide factory in Bhopal. Provide for supply of safe drinking water to the community.

4. Provide Economic and Social Support: Dow must provide income opportunities to victims who can not pursue their usual trade as a result of exposure-induced illnesses and income support to families rendered destitute due to death or incapacitation of the breadwinner of the family.

Watch the video at

Reservation: A socialist view

I saw a lot of debate on this topic and thought of voicing my opinion. A real socialists opinion on quotas.

Myth: 1: Caste based quotas brought equality in the society.
Reality: 1: It was of very little help that too in first 10 years. The people who got reservation earlier they became rich and their coming generations kept getting it. But from then onwards only rich SC/STs were getting Quota mostly. Otherwise in 56 years of quota why tea labourers, Karbi Anglong, and many other districts are in bad shape.

Myth: 2: Caste based quotas have provided access to education for poor.
Reality: 2: There are not enough means to sustain poor backward class students in primary to secondary school. So most of them drop out before class 10th. Then what happens is rich OBC/SC/STs get their kids study in good schools and get quotas in the end.

Myth: 3: Arjun Singh wants to help “backward classes” in the development.
Reality: 3: He is not trying to help nation he is trying to help his son. He and his son used to fight election from Rewa, Madhya Pradesh. They lose the election in current scenario because they never worked in their constituency so the educated class stopped voting for them. And “backward classes” were voting for BSP. Currently he is on Sonia Gandhi’s mercy in Rajyasabha. So to secure his son’s political career he is playing with the nation’s future.
Other reason is he was left out in the race of PM now he is trying for the President.
So nothing for nation or “backward classes” but only for him and his family.

Myth: 4: All the people in “backward class” are under developed.
Reality: 4: There are people who are SC/ST and IAS for two generations still their sons and daughter are “backward”. OBCs are another good example they have currently only one generation of IAS/IPS but there castes like Sunar (Gold Smith), Yadav (rulers once upon time) and many more such castes which do business or were rulers at some point of time and they are traditionally rich. These are considered OBCs.

Myth: 5: South India is developed despite of Quotas.
Reality: 5: South Indian Quota has caused India worst kind of brain drain. And they are developed because of good governance not quotas.

Myth: 6: The “backward classes” population is high
Reality: 6: The National Family and Health Survey says total population of SC/ST/OBC is less than 35%. The other truth is not all 35% people are backward.


Solution: 1: Quota should be economic (not based on caste, it should not depend on whether he/she is Brahmin or OBC or SC or ST, if he/she is poor they deserve the quota) but not more than 10%. Even some developed countries have Quota but it’s not more than 10%.

Solution: 2: Let’s make our education system strong and make sure economically “backward people” (not “backward class”) get good primary/secondary education. Good foundation will make good students. If foundation is weak, higher education quota will not help.

Solution: 3: Once a person has availed quota, his coming generations should not get it.

Solution: 4: Support them economically but don’t kill the merit.


Funny rule: 1: Even after getting into government job the promotions given to SC/STs are faster. How come you are under developed after getting the job?

About Author:
I’m a socialist. But don’t confuse me with pseudo socialists of current Indian politics. I’m hardcore follower of JP. I had a choice of quota. MP as state has quota for freedom fighter families, but I never filled it in my Application form. I contested Open seat I got open seat.

Jai Hind

Blinds don't need sympathy, they need opportunities

I spent a day at blind school.
They could do most of things which I could but I could not do most of the things which they could. What I want to say is that they are differently able but not disabled. Boosting their confidence is much better than sympathizing.

I want the world free from Chotu

Chotu is symbolic, there are so many Choutus working at eateries, resorts, laundries and hazardous industries. Chotu comes cheap, asks for less salary can be bullied doesn't know his/her rights. Chotu has enormous energy but bleak future. I come out of a store buying expensive items for my daughter and see a Chotu selling roasted corn. I'm upset. What can be done?
* Effective and sincere rehabilitation.
* Real Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan not like earlier one which made corrupt officials rich but no change in state of education.
* Training the rehabilitated Child labour's family to generate employment for them.
* Spreading awareness against using Child labour.

I want the world free from Chotu

Prof. Sabharwal - II

The worst side effect of this incident will be low morale of teaching community. I want to let know the teaching community that the people who don't respect them are less in number and there are people like me in large number who need them and respect them. I'll write letters to my teachers to let them know still they are respected and loved.

Illegal Immigrants - II

I got quite good response about my post on illegal immigrants. And I feel I should reply those in public forum.
Comment: Illegal immigrants are criminal and they involve in illegal activities.
Response: There are legal citizens too who involve in illegal activities so you can not generalize.

Comment: They change demography of the region.
Response: Changing demography is not their intention it is driven by politicians. Sometimes even legal citizens can change demography don't want to point out communities but there are evident examples in many cities like Kolkata.

Prof. Sabharwal

Professor Sabharwal killed in college student violence. In which society we are living, where people killed a teacher. I've never seen god on this earth but have seen my teachers and parents. How can somebody kill a teacher? Student elections are good but if they are limited till students. I know such student bodies where President’s age is 45 years. Keep student bodies and mainstream politics separate.
Kabir would have never thought that a teacher will be killed in India by students, while writing this

Saat samundar masi kare, lekhani sab banraay
dharati sab kaagad kare, guru gun likha na jaay.

Sevens seas turned to ink, into pen all forest,
all earth a sheet of paper,glory of guru can't be written yet.

Whose ownership? Part - II

Like a problem called as "Illegal Immigrants"
Where does this illegal word came from, who declared them as illegal, who got the ownership of declaring them as illegal and who has drawn the boundry.
If they had survival means, why will they be leaving their homeland?
So a Bangladeshi can not work in India but a Nepali can because India has treaty with Nepal. Similarly analogy will be of US, Canada and Mexico.
So poor Nepali's have right to come and work in India but Bangladeshi's don’t have it.

Whose ownership?

Logically when life started on earth everybody had equal rights of ownership but over the time some small number of people became owner of this world. So a person with lesser power (often called as poor) his/her "illegal" dwellings will be demolished but powerful people (often called as rich) will regularize their commercial (read illegal) establishments for benefit of economy.